A food delivery rider was injured after being struck by lightning while riding a motorcycle on the Ratchavipha flyover in Bangkok during heavy rain on 2 June. The incident occurred at around 3.40pm on the elevated section of Vibhavadi Rangsit Road heading towards the Ratchayothin intersection.
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According to initial reports, the rider was travelling across the flyover amid a thunderstorm when lightning struck the middle of the body while on the motorcycle. The impact caused the motorcycle to lose control and fall off, leaving the rider with multiple injuries.
Rescue volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and an emergency medical team from Chulabhorn Hospital rushed to the scene and provided urgent assistance. The injured rider was found with burns consistent with a lightning strike, including singed hair and visible lightning marks on the body. The helmet also showed burn damage.
Pictures courtesy of Matichon
The rider was transported to Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital for emergency treatment. Further images later circulated online showing a long burn wound across the neck and chest. Reports also noted that a necklace worn by the rider had broken during the strike, while the helmet sustained a prominent burn mark on the top.
The incident attracted widespread attention on social media, with some users questioning whether items such as the rider’s necklace or helmet could have attracted the lightning strike. In response, Associate Professor Dr Jessada Denduangboripant, a lecturer in the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University and a science communicator, said the items did not attract the lightning.
Dr Jessada explained that the strike was simply a matter of bad luck, as the motorcycle was travelling across a prominent elevated structure at the exact location where lightning happened to strike. He stated that if the rider had not been at that point, another vehicle passing through the area could have been hit instead.
He added that the burn marks along the line of the necklace were caused by electrical current passing through the metal, generating heat and causing severe burns. He compared the effect to charging mobile phones that have been damaged or exploded after lightning strikes, stressing that such objects do not attract lightning but are affected by the electrical discharge.
The incident has also served as a reminder of the dangers of travelling during severe thunderstorms, particularly on exposed elevated roads. Authorities advise motorists to slow down and seek shelter in sturdy buildings when lightning activity is present.
Matichon reported that the rider remains under medical care, while the incident continues to be discussed online as experts reiterate that lightning strikes are unpredictable and can affect anyone caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Matichon 4 June 2026